Paper thin
Those are the two words that came to mind while watching Manchester United’s 3 – 2 loss vs Arsenal at the Emirates stadium. Manchester United have been in fine form since the end of the world cup, to the point where some were speaking about a title race. Most United fans were wary of inserting themselves into a title race, for one reason.
Depth.
Manchester United are the only club in England competing for four major trophies. A deep squad is essential to compete. Not just depth in the squad but depth specifically in midfield. As we saw in the loss to Arsenal; we’re one injury, suspension, or sick day away from either Fred and McTominay starting games.
Neither Fred nor McTominay should be starting games for Manchester United, because they’re not good enough. McTominay did nothing against Arsenal, he’s poor on the ball and poor off the ball too. It was impressive how often his passes had the wrong weight to them. The current first team squad looks like this:
Midfield Options
- Fred – Solid rotation option, able to come off the bench and cause chaos higher up the pitch in the opposition’s half. Fred is a proven liability in his own box and must be paired with a more defensive midfielder to cover when he vacates space to press.
- Scott McTominay – A limited player who should only start certain games in specific circumstances. Not good enough defensively and nothing special going forward. Needs a mature player next him to talk him through games. I cannot think of what he provides to the team barring height and energy. He looked below the required standard against Charlton. Injured at the moment for a few weeks.
- Christian Eriksen – An unreal free transfer. Composed on the ball, deadly from set pieces, and able to use his superior passing to progress the play. I have some questions about his fitness, we’ve been overplaying him and it’s really starting to show. He probably shouldn’t be starting as many games as he has.
- Donny van de Beek – An odd signing who isn’t what the team needed when we first bought him. Donny does not contriubute much when playing despiste being given ample chances to do so. He is not at the required level and can’t be selected at the moment since he is injured.
- Casemiro – A total revelation, came into the club unexpectedly and has elevated the level of the midfield. A proven winner and two way midfielder; contributes goals and assists in addition to winning the ball and intercepting plays. Gulf in class between him and his other central midfielders is honestly alarming.
- Marcel Sabitze (loan): A shock deadline day addition to the squad that arrived as a loan signing. With Eriksen injured against Reading I thought our season was over. With no money to spend due to the ongoing takeover I thought we would have no one coming in. With Eriksen and McTominay injured, the midfield needed an addition. With Sabitzer we have an adaptable player with proven leadership qualities, a great engine, and a vicious long shot. Great addition but the midfield department is still threadbare.
- Zidane Iqbal: Zidane is class on the ball but can’t be counted on to start since he is a young and inexperienced player.
- Kobbie Mainoo: Even younger than Zidane at only 17 years old but has featured more in the first team. He’s still too young and inexperienced to be counted on.
External Solutions for the Summer
All of that to say this; we only have three central midfielders with the required quality and experience to be first team starters. There are simply not enough players in the most important part of the pitch. The question now is who? Who can Manchester United bring in to resolve this issue?
Jude Bellingham: He was very buddy buddy with Jordan Henderson at the world cup and I’ve heard disturbing rumors that he supports Liverpool. Madrid or Manchester City seem to be more likely options than United at this point. In a parallel universe, he would be at United captaining the side to Premier League titles for the next ten years. However, this is not the world we live in.
Youri Tielemens: His star has faded a bit since his Monaco days. I’ve heard Leiscter fans criticize his fitness levels and body language on the pitch. We all know how hard performing in a poor team can be and Leicester haven’t been setting the world alight over the years. Throughout his career Youri has been seen as a leader, he was named Monaco captain by Thierry Henry. I think the mentality is correct and his contract expires in June of this year.
Ruben Neves: Has a solid passing range, is strong in the tackle, and has a good long range shot on him. He spent a season in the championship so he can handle the physical side. Has been on the radar of the club for a few years now but the club hasn’t pulled the trigger for whatever reason. His contract expires in June 2024 so he shouldn’t cost an arm and leg.
Frenkie de Jong: So much is written about this player joining United that I almost didn’t include him here since I’m tired of seeing his name. The Manager sees something in him clearly since he spent the entire summer chasing him. The player made it clear he has no interest in leaving Barca but he may not have a choice due to their financial issues. Gavi and Pedri are untouchable, making de Jong the most sellable asset. I’ve heard various conspiracies about him not being able to publicly express interest in joining United due to not wanting to forgo the money owed to him by Barca. Either way I would keep an eye on this endless saga
My Choice
My choice for midfield would be Declan Rice. I am a Rice fan, I have been since 2018 when I set time aside to observe him match for match. Ten Hag seems to want to recruit leaders and players with character; we can look at Casemiro, Martinez, Sabitzer, and Eriksen as examples of this. Rice fits the bill. A starter for his national team and a long standing vice captain now captain of West Ham.
As Chelsea Manager, Lampard targeted Rice due to his personality in addition to his ability on the pitch. Frank Lampard valued Rice’s leadership ability and likened him to his club and national team compatriot John Terry. I had noticed this aspect of his game while West Ham vs Everton on January 21st 2022.
Lampard is the common thread here, since he was still Manager of Everton during this game. I took the time out to watch Rice closely and see if he passed the eye test. The bottom line is he did and he always does because he is a top player. These are some of the things that caught my eye:
Noteable Events from the Match
- In the ’31 minute Rice played an incisive through ball to Bowen that led to a corner. That corner led to the first goal since Everton did not clear the corner.
- In the ’44 minute Rice made a crucial defensive header to clear the ball out of his own box. A minute later he’s switched on enough to kick the ball clear out of his own box.
- In the ’60 minute we get to see those leadership qualities that both Lampard and Ten Hag admire in a player. Rice screens the backline and directs his teammates on where to go and who to track.
- In minute ’79 Rice nearly lost the ball due to pressure but was calm enough to retain possession while falling over.
- In general I saw that the player is always scanning his surroundings.
As a player Rice plays a primarily holding role with West Ham. Sitting deeper and protecting the West Ham backline. He does drive forward with the ball and also progresses play with forward passing.
I think his ability to drive forward is one of his best traits. I would love to see him in Manchester United’s structure next to Casemiro. In our setup Rice would have less defensive responsibilities, permitting him to drive forward with the ball more and make more risky passes. Rice has the potential to be a world class two way midfielder but isn’t given the chance to do so in West Ham’s system.
A midfield pair of Casemiro and Rice is a strong prospect, you would have two midfielders who can both track runners, intercept play, drive forward, play incisive passes, and interpret space in intelligent ways. It would be incredible to see how Ten Hag manages to develop a player of his quality. Fred, McTominay, Eriksen, and Sabitzer if made permanent would be sensational depth.